Third generation international mobile telecommunications-IMT-2000: network standards status

Summary form only given. International Mobile Telecommunications 2000 (IMT-2000) has become a topic of much interest as the radio access interface standards are nearing finalization. In the intense discussions surrounding this crucial area, another equally crucial area has received less media attention but its importance is recognized through substantial operator and vendor participation. This area is the network standards. It is the network to which the radio infrastructure is attached and by which multiple IMT-2000 networks are interconnected to enable subscribers to talk and exchange data with each other. ITU-T Study Group 11 (SG 11) is designated the lead study group for IMT-2000, but SGs 2, 4, 7 and 16 also have important and fundamental roles to play. These include some key elements such as high speed data and multimedia services, including Internet services, and global roaming. The aspects addressed by each of these study groups, how they relate to each other, and how the organization of the work is evolving are described. This presentation then describes the content of each of these activities, provides a status report on the work to date, and provides perspectives on the ongoing work planned in each of these areas. The presentation concludes with an overview of the anticipated evolution of the work on IMT-2000.